Log-feeding apparatus



Aug. 1o, 192s.

F.C.SWTKUS .LOG FEEDING APPARATUS Filed April 29l 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet l F. c. SITTKUs LG FEEDING APPARATUS Filed April 29, 1925 2 sheets-sheet 2 gnam/nto@ .r m J. L A Im M. l

Patented ug. 10, 1926.

UNITED sra i maar FRED C. SIT'I'KU'S, OF POTLATCII, IDAHO.

LOG-FEEDINGr AEPARATUS.

Application filed April 29, 1925. Serial No. 26,728.

This invention has reference to sawing apparatus and relates especially toV means for feeding the work to the saw. The invention is intended more particularly for use for feeding a log to a drag` saw and its primary object is to provide a feeding mechanism which may be quickly and easily operatively connected with the power shaft of the drag saw to be operated thereby. Another object of the invention is to provide means whereby the log will be held at rest -while the saw is cutting through the same and so connect said holding means with the feeding means that the holdingmeans will be automatically withdrawn from the log when the feeding means is caused to operate. Other objects of the invention will appear incidentally in the course of the following description, and the invention resides in certain novel features which will be particularly pointed out in the appended.

claim. Y

In the drawings:

Figure l is a plan view of one embodiment of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section on the line 2-*2 of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the ear or load carrier.

In the drawings, the reference numeral 1 indicates sills having their ends 2 beveled or rounded off whereby they may be utilized as runners to transport the apparatus from one point of use to another point of use. These runners or sills are connected by cross bars 3 at intervals, and upon some of these cross bars I secure an upper frame 4. I also secure upon the side of one runner 1 a ledge 5 having recesses 6 at its ends whereby it is adapted to be engaged by and support the ends of tracks 7 upon which `the car S may travel. If desired, rails 9 may be secured across the sills 1 in alinement with the track rails 7 so that the ear 8 may be moved close to the drum 10 which is carried by the main frame. The said drum 10 is in the form of a large spool having corrugations 11 in its end flanges whereby it will firmly engage a log 12 and support the same. This spool is carried by a shaft 13 extending longitudinally of the main frame and mounted in suitable bearings thereon, a worm gear 14 being secured upon the inner end of said shaft, as clearly shown in Fig. 2.

The car may be of any desired structure and is illustrated as a four wheel truck ally mount the dogs 17 which are in theA form of angle levers fulcrumed at their angles upon thebeam or body 15 and provided at their upper extremities with spurs 18 adapted to enter the opposite sides of the log to hold the same, as clearly shown in Fig. 3. The lower portions of the dogs present` inwardly extending arms, the extremities 19 of which overlap, as shown in F ig. 3, and have convex upper edges. When there is no log on the car, the upper ends of the dogs are swung outwardly, thereby causing the .inwardlyextending arms of the dogs to swing upwardly so vthat the extremities of said arms will project somewhat above the bottom of the recess or seat 16. Then when the log is brought into position upon the truck and entersthe said seat, the weight of the log will swing the inwardly extend- .ing arms of the dogs downwardly and cause the spurs 18 to automatically engage the opposite sides of the log so that it will be then held in fixed relation to the truck, as will be readily understood upon reference to Fig. 3.

Mounted in suitable bearings upon the upper frame A4-'is atransmission shaft 2O equipped near one end with a worm 21 meshing with the worm gear 14, and near its opposite end equipped with a band pulley 22. engine is mounted in suitable 'bearings upon the top of the upper frame 4, and this shaft carries a band pulley 24 which is alined longitudinally of the apparatus with the band pulley 22, a belt 25 being trained about the said pulleysas shown, so that, when the belt is tight, motion will be imparted to the pulley 22 from the engine shaft. Pivotally mounted upon the transmission shaft 2O ady acent the pulley 22 are links 26 which normally extend upwardly from the said shaft, as shown most clearly in Fig. 2, and in and between the upper ends of the links 2G is carried a pulley or roller 27 which at times may bear upon the belt 25 so as to tighten the same and cause it to transmit motion to the transmission shaft from the engine shaft. A setting shaft 28 is mounted for rocking movement upon the sills 1 and extends transversely thereof, a hand lever 29 being secured rigidly to one The power shaft 23 of the drag saw end of the said sha-ft. Near the inner or rear end of the said shaft is secured a crank arm 30 and to the upper end of said crank arm is pivoted one end of a yoke 3l which extends from the crank arm to the links 26 and is pivotally connected therewith. When the hand lever 29 is in the lowered position shown in full lines in the drawings, the tightener pulley 27 will be free of the belt 25 and the log-feeding mechanism will remain inactive. After a cut has been made and another length of the log is to ybe fed to the saw, the lever is swung upwardly to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, and this movement will rock the crank 30 so as to pull upon the yoke 3l and swing the links 26 to bring `the tightener pulley 27 into direct engagement with the upper run of the belt 25 and tighten the same, as will be readily understood. The shaft 2O will then, of course, be rotated and this movement will be imparted through the worm gearing to the drum or spool 10 which, by its engagement with the end of the log, will feed the log to the saw. rIhe car 8 is, of course, clamped to and supports the outer rear end of the log so that, when the log moves, the car will travel with it along the tracks 7 the outer end of the log being thereby supported and guided to the feeding drum or spool 10.

To secure the log against movement while a cut is Ibeing made, I provide a hook 32 adapted to engage the top of the log immediately over the spool l0, which hook has a long shank 33 pivotally supported upon one of the runners l, as shown at 34. In the vertical plane of the shank 33, a crank 35 is secured to the rocking setting shaft 28, and this crank extends toward the spool but is upon a dierent radius of the shaft from the crank 30. A link 36 is pivoted to the free end of the crank 35 and rises therefrom to the shank 33, being provided at its upper end with an eye 37 engaging around the shank, as clearly shown. Vhen the hand lever 29 is rocked so as to cause the shaft 20 to operate, the crank 35 and the link 36 will be swung upwardly so that the hook 32 will be disengaged from the log and will beheld in the elevated position, indicated by the dotted lines in F ig. 2. When the lever is returned to its normal position, the hook will be re-engaged with the log so as to hold the same against movement while a cut is being made.

Thile I have referred to the shaft 23 as the engine shaft, it will be understood that it may be an extension of the power sha-ft of the engine which operates the drag saw or it may be equipped with a pulley, indicated at 38, to be engaged bya belt extending from the power shaft of the engine.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, it will be seen that I have provided a very simple, compact and inexpensive mechanism whereby a log which is being cut up byV the use of a drag saw may be fed to the saw by the same power which is utilized to operate the saw and the mechanism is so arranged that the log will be held against movement while the saw is working, and after a cut is made will be released for a feeding movement automatically with the setting into operation of the feeding mechanism.

Having thus described the invention, I claim:

In a log-feeding apparatus, the combination of a supporting frame, a log-supporting and feeding spool mounted upon the frame, means for rotating said spool, a hook pip oted at one end upon the frame and adapted at its free end to engage a log resting on the spool, a rockv shaft, a crank on said rock shaft, a link pivoted to and rising from said crank and engaging the hook bctween the ends thereof, and connections be tween the rock shaft and the means for rotating the spool whereby when the shaft is rocked injone direction the said means will be rendered operative and the hook lifted from the log and when the shaft is rocked in the opposite direction said means will be rendered inoperative and the hook moved into engagement with the log.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

FRED C. SITTKUS. [ns] 

